Export to Signcut issue

[ursulasmith]

Hi Everyone! I am a brand-newbie to the Cougar and signcut. I have used Inkscape before, but now I am trying to follwo Penny Duncan's tutorial (AWESOME BTW!!) and when I do the export to signcut, I am seeing this message and nothing happens....
Traceback (most recent call last):

File "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inkscape\share\extensions\sendtosigncut.pyw", line 11, in <module>

os.spawnl(os.P_NOWAIT, value+'\\importinkscape.exe')

File "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inkscape\python\Lib\os.py", line 610, in spawnl

return spawnv(mode, file, args)

OSError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory


I saw something similar the first time I tried it, because I think Mcafee got rid of a file. I shut Mcaffee off, reinstalled and I was able to get into signcut that time, altho I didn't actually cut anything. Now I keep getting this message and I am wondering if Mcafee went back and got rid of something again. Has anyone else seen this issue?

Thanks for any help you can provide, and thanks to all who have gone and posted all sorts of very helpfull information! Without it, I would be really lost!!

[Angel135612]

I think Macafee did do something again. I had the same problem with Norton and the plugin for sending from Inkscape to Signcut. I blocked Norton from blocking that, and haven't had any problems since then. I may have had to reinstall the plugin (or add on, what ever it was called) but didn't have to reinstall Signcut.

[Gigi]

Welcome Ursula!

Hopefully by blocking McAfee you will be okay again - I use AVG so don't have an issue with things going to SignCut.

I know if there is a fix, someone here will know about it!

Again, welcome!

[ursulasmith]

Thanks everyone, so far. It was indeed Mcafee. I have turned it off (and probably will turn to Avast since I use that one my other computer). But now when I try to cut, after setting up the laser points, signcut just stops working. I tried to uninstall signcut and re-install, but that did nothing. I will try a reboot and report back.

This print and cut seems harder than I thought it would be!!

[ursulasmith]

Ok, I am really bumming out. Even after turning off Mcafee, uninstalling Inkscape and signcut, deleting the folders, rebooting, and reinstalling Signcut just quits when I try to cut after setting up the 3 laser points. Help!!

[Gigi]

Ursula -

Are you getting an error message or anything to go on? Which registration file are you using? Are you choosing simple contourcut? I know these are stupid questions, but am just looking for some reason that makes sense. Is your mat all the way over to the right? Did you calibrate it first or is that what you are doing? Can you go through the steps - maybe something will stick out to one of us?

[ursulasmith]

I was trying to follow the tutorial that PennyDuncan posted. I had originally planned to calibrate the laser offset by folowing Tyler's latest tutorial, and I got my numbers, but they weren't that far off so I actually didn't re-set those.

I had a digital image that I brought into Inkscape with Penny's registration point template and printed that on my printer. Then I took the path layer which were backgrounds for the images that I printed and exported that to signcut. I ran into the Mcafee issue, so I uninstalled, turned off mcafee, reinstalled (I actually did the uninstall and reinstall a few times to test whether it was mcafee, whether there were some ways I could leave it on, and make it work, and finally with mcafee turned off), and then was able to export.

I turned on the laser on the cougar, set the laser somewhere off to the right, pressed the origin button, and turned the cougar back online. Then I went back to signcut, and tried the simple contour cut. But after doing the laser setting for the 3 point registration, every time I pressed the final button to cut, signcut would die. I got no error message, just that it there was a problem with windows and it was shutting down. I even tried resetting the cougar, but that didn't help either.

Now I just tried again to export and it looks like it is trying to do it, but no image comes up in SignCut. I click the import button and nothing. So I am pretty much dead in the water right now, and not sure what else I can do.

I am getting really frustrated. I have had a pazzles, and a cricut and neither of them seemed as hard to use as this machine! I am hoping someone has a magic bullet to get me past this issue so I can start liking this all as much as everyone here seems to!!

[Gigi]

OK - first question.

When you send the file to Signcut, do you have the image and the cut file on separate layers and JUST send the cut layer? If you send the image it will freeze Signcut.

I am attaching the instructions that I wrote up from Penny that Dawn embellished so I would really understand what I am doing. Maybe there will be something in there that will help. Hope I am attaching the latest version. Just wondering if the error is in what you are sending to SignCut.

Once I got it it was very easy to calibrate it and do print and cuts - and once you get it you will LOVE it!

[Phyllis]

Ursala, I have the same problem with Signcut, it crashes when you try PNC, another person here is having the same problem but we are both on Mac versions. Don't know if this is the same problem though since you're on windows. Have you tried to just do a regular cut in Signcut. I can do that but not a PNC.

[ursulasmith]

Hi all! I think it was Gigi who answered and set the light bulb off in my head! I remembered that Penny had opened her registration as a template, and I just opened it straight and copied it to my cut layer.

So I went back opened the registration file, saved it as a template, and then opened a new file with that template. It was an A4 size and I was originally trying to do a letter size so maybe that also had something to do with it. Anyway, I resized my artwork to fit within the template, and set up the print and cut on separate layers as before, but the registration marks were now in the background and not part of a layer. So I think that was why Signcut kept crashing on me- those registration marks were an image, not a background?

In any event, I was able to cut (it was way off, but at least it was cutting LOL). So I will keep trying and see if I can get it to align properly, now that I can at least get it to cut!! Many, many thanks!!

But one more question- does the print and cut have to be that A4 size? or can it be larger, and if so- how do you resize that registration template?

[Gigi]

Ok - I attached the calibration sheet and the registration that Dawn sent me - that should give you more room. I have them both saved in my Inkscape>share>templates.

Remember when you create your layer where your cut image will go follow the instructions to move the registration marks to the bottom layer. "Now select grouped registration marks in image layer and select Edit > Duplicate. Then select Layer > Move to layer below (wherever the outline layer is) an they will copy onto that layer" then you should be good to go.

I cannot remember how many times I forgot to copy the registration marks to the second layer - so I learned the hard way as I tend to learn most times.

After doing it SO many times to get it right, I finally can do the PNC very accurately, but I want to try Tyler's new method just to see where I wind up! And the file I attached has the white dots in the center so your laser will be brighter when you hit it right on.

I hope these files help get you to terrific results. Please holler if you need anything else or get stuck!

[ursulasmith]

Hi Gigi- Again, Many, Many thanks!!! I will go through all of your info then next time I get the chance. Bedtime for me now, and work (blech) tomorrow

I did get it somewhat close the last time I attempted it, so I am confident with the info you shared for me, I should be an expert in no time, LOL!

Thanks again, so very much- you all made my day!!! Hopefully, I can return the favor some time

[Gigi]

So glad I could be of some help. Heaven only knows I have had a LOT of help from this group along the way so it's nice to be able to pass some of what I have learned (and can remember) to someone else!!

Hope you have a lot of success the next time you give it a try. Holler if you get stuck!

[Thyme]

Sending an image to Signcut will crash it, so that would definitely be the problem.

You can make the registration file larger, to what ever size you want. But you must ungroup the reg marks and move them rather than selecting and dragging the corners. The reason being that the reg marks must stay the same size.

[ursulasmith]

Thanks everyone, for your help! I just tried it again, and after fiddling with my settings in Signcut, I now did an even better print and cut! Actually, I was almost a stamp and cut I stamped an image using paint, and ( after it dried of course! ), I scanned in the stamped image, brought it into Inkscape for the print, exported it to signcut for cutting and it is an amazing thing!! Oh happy times!!!

Thanks again!! Next test- cutting stencils!

[Gigi]

Fabulous - so glad you got it working!! Good job!

Stamping , scanning and cutting is on my list!

[Phyllis]

Woo Hoo Ursula, I'm so happy when things work for everyone because I'm convinced this machine is worth every penny that I paid for it.

[Elizabeth]

Great, Ursula! Sounds like you are well on your way.

[Tyler]

Great!! Congrats!

[Thyme]

Congrats